A performance analysis of three different Minimax control charts is performed with respect to their Chi-Square control chart counterparts under several different conditions. A unique control chart must be constructed for each process described by a unique combination of quality characteristic mean vector and associated covariance matrix. The three different charts under consideration differ in the number of quality characteristic variables of concern. In each case, without loss of generality the in-control quality characteristic mean vector is assumed to have zero entries and the associated covariance matrix is assumed to have non-negative entries. The performance of the Chi-Square and Minimax charts are compared under different values of the sample size, the probability of a Type I error, and selected shifts in the quality characteristic mean vector. Minimax and Chi-Square charts that are compared share identical in-control average run lengths (ARL) making the out-of-control ARL the appropriate performance measure. A combined Tausworthe pseudorandom number generator is used to generate the out-of-control mean vectors. Issues regarding multivariate uniform pseudorandom number generation are addressed. / Master of Science

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This dissertation presents novel methodologies for five problem areas in modern quality improvement and computer experiments, i.e., selective assembly, robust design with computer experiments, multivariate quality control, model selection for split plot experiments, and construction of minimax designs. Selective assembly has traditionally been used to achieve tight specifications on the clearance of two mating parts. Chapter 1 proposes generalizations of the selective assembly method to assemblies with any number of components and any assembly response function, called generalized selective assembly (GSA). Two variants of GSA are considered: direct selective assembly (DSA) and fixed bin selective assembly (FBSA). In DSA and FBSA, the problem of matching a batch of N components of each type to give N assemblies that minimize quality cost is formulated as axial multi-index assignment and transportation problems respectively. Realistic examples are given to show that GSA can significantly improve the quality of assemblies. Chapter 2 proposes methods for robust design optimization with time consuming computer simulations. Gaussian process models are widely employed for modeling responses as a function of control and noise factors in computer experiments. In these experiments, robust design optimization is often based on average quadratic loss computed as if the posterior mean were the true response function, which can give misleading results. We propose optimization criteria derived by taking expectation of the average quadratic loss with respect to the posterior predictive process, and methods based on the Lugannani-Rice saddlepoint approximation for constructing accurate credible intervals for the average loss. These quantities allow response surface uncertainty to be taken into account in the optimization process. Chapter 3 proposes a Bayesian method for identifying mean shifts in multivariate normally distributed quality characteristics. Multivariate quality characteristics are often monitored using a few summary statistics. However, to determine the causes of an out-of-control signal, information about which means shifted and the directions of the shifts is often needed. We propose a Bayesian approach that gives this information. For each mean, an indicator variable that indicates whether the mean shifted upwards, shifted downwards, or remained unchanged is introduced. Default prior distributions are proposed. Mean shift identification is based on the modes of the posterior distributions of the indicators, which are determined via Gibbs sampling. Chapter 4 proposes a Bayesian method for model selection in fractionated split plot experiments. We employ a Bayesian hierarchical model that takes into account the split plot error structure. Expressions for computing the posterior model probability and other important posterior quantities that require evaluation of at most two uni-dimensional integrals are derived. A novel algorithm called combined global and local search is proposed to find models with high posterior probabilities and to estimate posterior model probabilities. The proposed method is illustrated with the analysis of three real robust design experiments. Simulation studies demonstrate that the method has good performance. The problem of choosing a design that is representative of a finite candidate set is an important problem in computer experiments. The minimax criterion measures the degree of representativeness because it is the maximum distance of a candidate point to the design. Chapter 5 proposes algorithms for finding minimax designs for finite design regions. We establish the relationship between minimax designs and the classical set covering location problem in operations research, which is a binary linear program. We prove that the set of minimax distances is the set of discontinuities of the function that maps the covering radius to the optimal objective function value, and optimal solutions at the discontinuities are minimax designs. These results are employed to design efficient procedures for finding globally optimal minimax and near-minimax designs.

Submitted by Rafael Santana (rafael.silvasantana@ufpe.br) on 2017-04-26T17:07:37Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Carolina Marchant.pdf: 5792192 bytes, checksum: adbd82c79b286d2fe2470b7955e6a9ed (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-26T17:07:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Carolina Marchant.pdf: 5792192 bytes, checksum: adbd82c79b286d2fe2470b7955e6a9ed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-10-31 / CAPES; BOLSA DO CHILE. / In the last decades, univariate Birnbaum-Saunders models have received considerable attention in the literature. These models have been widely studied and applied to fatigue, but they have also been applied to other areas of the knowledge. In such areas, it is often necessary to model several variables simultaneously. If these variables are correlated, individual analyses for each variable can lead to erroneous results. Multivariate regression models are a useful tool of the multivariate analysis, which takes into account the correlation between variables. In addition, diagnostic analysis is an important aspect to be considered in the statistical modeling. Furthermore, multivariate quality control charts are powerful and simple visual tools to determine whether a multivariate process is in control or out of control. A multivariate control chart shows how several variables jointly affect a process. First, we propose, derive and characterize multivariate generalized logarithmic Birnbaum-Saunders distributions. Also, we propose new multivariate generalized Birnbaum-Saunders regression models. We use the method of maximum likelihood estimation to estimate their parameters through the expectation-maximization algorithm. We carry out a simulation study to evaluate the performance of the corresponding estimators based on the Monte Carlo method. We validate the proposed models with a regression analysis of real-world multivariate fatigue data. Second, we conduct a diagnostic analysis for multivariate generalized Birnbaum-Saunders regression models. We consider the Mahalanobis distance as a global influence measure to detect multivariate outliers and use it for evaluating the adequacy of the distributional assumption. Moreover, we consider the local influence method and study how a perturbation may impact on the estimation of model parameters. We implement the obtained results in the R software, which are illustrated with real-world multivariate biomaterials data. Third and finally, we develop a robust methodology based on multivariate quality control charts for generalized Birnbaum-Saunders distributions with the Hotelling statistic. We use the parametric bootstrap method to obtain the distribution of this statistic. A Monte Carlo simulation study is conducted to evaluate the proposed methodology, which reports its performance to provide earlier alerts of out-of-control conditions. An illustration with air quality real-world data of Santiago-Chile is provided. This illustration shows that the proposed methodology can be useful for alerting episodes of extreme air pollution. / Nas últimas décadas, o modelo Birnbaum-Saunders univariado recebeu considerável atenção na literatura. Esse modelo tem sido amplamente estudado e aplicado inicialmente à modelagem de fadiga de materiais. Com o passar dos anos surgiram trabalhos com aplicações em outras áreas do conhecimento. Em muitas das aplicações é necessário modelar diversas variáveis simultaneamente incorporando a correlação entre elas. Os modelos de regressão multivariados são uma ferramenta útil de análise multivariada, que leva em conta a correlação entre as variáveis de resposta. A análise de diagnóstico é um aspecto importante a ser considerado no modelo estatístico e verifica as suposições adotadas como também sua sensibilidade. Além disso, os gráficos de controle de qualidade multivariados são ferramentas visuais eficientes e simples para determinar se um processo multivariado está ou não fora de controle. Este gráfico mostra como diversas variáveis afetam conjuntamente um processo. Primeiro, propomos, derivamos e caracterizamos as distribuições Birnbaum-Saunders generalizadas logarítmicas multivariadas. Em seguida, propomos um modelo de regressão Birnbaum-Saunders generalizado multivariado. Métodos para estimação dos parâmetros do modelo, tal como o método de máxima verossimilhança baseado no algoritmo EM, foram desenvolvidos. Estudos de simulação de Monte Carlo foram realizados para avaliar o desempenho dos estimadores propostos. Segundo, realizamos uma análise de diagnóstico para modelos de regressão Birnbaum-Saunders generalizados multivariados. Consideramos a distância de Mahalanobis como medida de influência global de detecção de outliers multivariados utilizando-a para avaliar a adequacidade do modelo. Além disso, desenvolvemos medidas de diagnósticos baseadas em influência local sob alguns esquemas de perturbações. Implementamos a metodologia apresentada no software R, e ilustramos com dados reais multivariados de biomateriais. Terceiro, e finalmente, desenvolvemos uma metodologia robusta baseada em gráficos de controle de qualidade multivariados para a distribuição Birnbaum-Saunders generalizada usando a estatística de Hotelling. Baseado no método bootstrap paramétrico encontramos aproximações da distribuição desta estatística e obtivemos limites de controle para o gráfico proposto. Realizamos um estudo de simulação de Monte Carlo para avaliar a metodologia proposta indicando seu bom desempenho para fornecer alertas precoces de processos fora de controle. Uma ilustração com dados reais de qualidade do ar de Santiago-Chile é fornecida. Essa ilustração mostra que a metodologia proposta pode ser útil para alertar sobre episódios de poluição extrema do ar, evitando efeitos adversos na saúde humana.